Chapter Summaries

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire traded insults at the gathering of Daimyo, which ended in a furious split. Back in Sunagakure, the Wind Daimyo threatened to cut the village’s funding unless it won the war against Konoha, leaving its leaders stunned.

• The Daimyo of the Land of Wind angrily rejected the Land of Fire’s sympathy, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire mocked Sunagakure’s repeated defeats.
• The Wind and Fire Daimyo nearly came to blows before the gathering ended in a heated exchange, while the other Daimyo watched without intervening.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Wind returned to Sunagakure and demanded that the village win its war against Konoha or face reduced funding.
• The Wind Daimyo blamed Sunagakure’s leaders for his humiliation and criticized their record against Konoha before leaving the meeting.
• Baki, Rasa, and the other Sunagakure leaders sat silently, stunned by the Daimyo’s outburst.

Sunagakure’s leaders accepted that the Daimyo’s pressure was driving them toward war with Konoha, while the Third Hokage regretted seeking the Daimyo’s help. Hiko met with the Third Hokage, who first asked about his unusual irritability before Hiko asked whether the Daimyo matter had failed.

• Grandma Chiyo pressed Rasa to take responsibility, and Rasa pledged to stand and fall with Sunagakure as he prepared to become the Fourth Kazekage.
• The Third Hokage learned that the Daimyo’s intervention had pushed Sunagakure closer to war and regretted ignoring Hiko’s advice.
• The Third Hokage summoned Hiko to his office to discuss the urgent situation and ease the strain between them.
• Hiko finished his work before going to the office, where the Third Hokage asked why he had been unusually irritable.
• Hiko blamed Sunagakure’s smears for his temper and asked the Third Hokage whether the Daimyo had helped open the way.

Hiko told the Third Hokage that Konoha had to choose between declaring war on Sunagakure or waiting for Sunagakure to attack, and urged him to step down if he could not act decisively. The Third Hokage began questioning whether age had made him hesitant, while Hiko returned to Anbu and was reminded by Mikoto Uchiha that he was the one who would bear the consequences.

• The Third Hokage told Hiko that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had argued and pushed their countries toward war.
• Hiko laid out two choices for the Third Hokage: Konoha could declare war on Sunagakure or wait for Sunagakure to attack first.
• When the Third Hokage asked if there was another way, Hiko told him to step down and said he was no longer suited to lead Konoha.
• The Third Hokage sat alone in the Hokage's Office and wondered whether he had grown old and should retire.
• Hiko returned to Anbu, struggled to focus on his document, and complained that the crisis was not his responsibility.
• Mikoto Uchiha pointed out that Hiko was Konoha's tallest figure and would be crushed first if things fell apart, and Hiko denied being responsible.

Hiko continued to show signs of strain as Mikoto worried about him, while Rasa quickly took control as Fourth Kazekage and declared war on Konoha. Konoha’s leaders gathered to decide how to respond, and the chapter ended with attention turning toward Hiko as a possible commander.

• Mikoto Uchiha urged Hiko to rest, but he dismissed her concern and returned to his official work.
• Rasa became Fourth Kazekage and used Konoha as a target to consolidate his authority in Sunagakure.
• Less than three days after taking office, Rasa and Grandma Chiyo mobilized Sunagakure’s forces and declared war on Konoha.
• Konoha’s villagers and clan leaders reacted angrily, and the Third Hokage convened the village’s upper echelon to discuss a response.
• The Third Hokage asked how Konoha should answer Sunagakure’s army at the border, and many people looked toward Hiko.

After Sunagakure declared war on Konoha, the Third Hokage appointed Hiko as frontline commander and gave him authority to lead the village’s forces. Hiko accepted command of an initial force of three thousand and chose to draw ninjas from every clan, leaving Konoha’s clans to cooperate with him.

• The Third Hokage resolved to fight Sunagakure and called on Hiko to lead Konoha’s forces to the border.
• Hiko failed to hear the Third Hokage at first, and Tsunade brought him back to attention with a kick.
• The Third Hokage appointed Hiko frontline commander and asked whether he could hold the line with three thousand reinforcements.
• Hiko promised to stop Sunagakure’s advance but warned he could not prevent every enemy infiltration.
• The Third Hokage gave Hiko broad authority, and Hiko chose to recruit ninjas from every clan alongside civilian ninjas.
• The Third Hokage approved Hiko’s plan, and the clans agreed to cooperate with him.

Hiko set the terms for leading Konoha’s war against Sunagakure, including Tsunade and the Medical Department joining the campaign. After leaving the meeting before his impatience sparked a direct argument with the Third Hokage, he assigned Hatake Sakumo to organize the first 3,000 troops.

• Hiko required the Medical Department’s support and insisted Tsunade go to the battlefield to counter Sunagakure’s poisons and Grandma Chiyo.
• The Third Hokage agreed to Hiko’s requirements and urged him to win the war so the village could uncover the truth behind the conflict.
• Hiko left the meeting, and Tsunade observed that his conduct was making Old Man Third lose face; Hiko said it was preferable to starting an argument.
• Hiko told Tsunade to prepare the Medical Department while he returned to the Anbu.
• Hiko gave Hatake Sakumo orders to coordinate the clans and select the first 3,000 people for the war, including members of the Uchiha.

After Sunagakure declared war, Hiko organized Konoha’s mobilization and sent Hatake Sakumo, Shikaku Nara, and thousands of clan shinobi toward the Border. The two villages had begun minor clashes, but both sides were waiting for their leaders to arrive before escalating the fighting.

• Hatake Sakumo accepted Hiko’s orders, and Shikaku Nara agreed to manage battlefield logistics alongside the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.
• Konoha selected three thousand shinobi for the first deployment, including Senju members led by Nawaki Senju.
• Hiko considered the heavy losses Konoha might suffer in the war and rejected the idea of letting the Uchiha be sent into a disadvantageous fight against Kirigakure.
• Konoha sent Hiko and several thousand shinobi to the Border after Sunagakure declared war under the banner of revenge.
• Sunagakure and Konoha began small clashes near the Border, while shinobi on both sides waited for their commanders to arrive.

Hiko led three thousand reinforcements to the Land of Fire’s border camp as Konoha and Sunagakure awaited the arrival of the true power broker. After reaching the camp, he assigned the troops to their positions and summoned the named personnel to the Command Center.

• Jiraiya criticized Konoha for not starting the war sooner, and Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo mocked him for speaking up only after the decision was made.
• Jiraiya asked why Hiko had become irritable, and Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo warned him not to provoke Hiko.
• Hiko led the three thousand troops on a four-day journey to the Land of Fire’s border camp.
• Hiko sent the Nine-Tails to stay in a distant forest and ordered the troops to arrange accommodations and take their positions.
• Hiko entered the Command Center with Tsunade and the others after calling in the personnel listed on a scroll.

Hiko took command at Konoha’s frontline camp and organized preparations for Sunagakure’s expected large-scale offensive. He assigned Hatake Sakumo to patrol and protect the camp, put Tsunade in charge of medical readiness, and began entrusting Shikaku Nara with major responsibilities.

• Hiko reviewed reports showing minor clashes with Sunagakure and relatively low casualties, with Konoha holding the advantage.
• Hiko warned that Sunagakure would adapt to his tactics and ordered the troops to rest, prepare for an offensive, and maintain their defenses.
• Hiko ordered Hatake Sakumo to patrol the area and keep enemy forces away from the camp.
• Hiko put Tsunade in charge of ensuring the Medical Department had sufficient medicine, Medical Ninja, and staff.
• Hiko called on Shikaku Nara and prepared to give him significant authority over frontline preparations.

Hiko appointed Shikaku Nara to run the camp's Logistics Department and warned the assembled ninja to obey his orders during the coming war with Sunagakure. The meeting ended with Hiko telling them to bring only major problems to him, leaving the others to figure out how to handle routine matters.

• Hiko gave Shikaku Nara authority over the Logistics Department and ordered him to kill anyone who caused trouble there.
• Shikaku Nara pledged to take responsibility if anything went wrong, but Hiko told him simply to manage the department properly.
• Hiko ordered the camp to rest and prepare for war, warning that anyone who caused trouble would face death regardless of rank or clan.
• Hiko dismissed the meeting and told the ninja not to bother him, even when problems arose.
• A departing ninja explained that they should handle small issues themselves or ask Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Hatake Sakumo, and report only major matters to Hiko.

Hiko kept Jiraiya in line at Konoha’s frontline camp while Sunagakure debated whether to attack. Grandma Chiyo persuaded Rasa to proceed cautiously because Hiko was commanding Konoha, leaving Rasa frustrated and doubtful of her warning.

• Tsunade angrily drove away the people who mocked her red underwear, while Jiraiya laughed at Hiko’s joke until Hiko threatened to make him wear red underwear himself.
• Hiko told Jiraiya to find something useful to do and warned him not to spy on women; Jiraiya left to patrol with the seniors.
• A Sunagakure scout reported that Konoha’s camp remained quiet despite Hiko’s arrival.
• Grandma Chiyo urged Rasa not to attack immediately because Sunagakure’s army was weary from its journey and Hiko was a dangerous commander.
• Rasa accepted Grandma Chiyo’s caution but privately doubted her claims about Hiko.

Grandma Chiyo warned Rasa not to underestimate Hiko, while both Konoha and Sunagakure rested and regrouped instead of beginning the expected battle. Hiko predicted the standoff would last no more than half a month and said Konoha would be ready to fight once its supplies were complete.

• Grandma Chiyo urged Rasa to proceed cautiously and warned him that underestimating Hiko could lead to severe consequences.
• Rasa respectfully answered Grandma Chiyo, who left the Command Center expecting him to heed her advice.
• Hiko and Rasa kept their forces still, ending the covert clashes as Konoha and Sunagakure rested and regrouped.
• Konoha's ninja mocked Sunagakure for appearing afraid, while Hiko cautioned them not to lower their guard before their supplies were complete.
• Hiko predicted Sunagakure would likely remain inactive for at most half a month before the standoff ended.

After half a month of stalemate, Sunagakure’s leaders agreed they could no longer delay and sent their forces toward Konoha’s positions. Hiko learned of their advance and rallied Konoha’s commanders, who eagerly awaited his order to fight.

• Konoha’s leaders expected Sunagakure to act within half a month, since further delay would anger its villagers and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
• As the stalemate continued, Sunagakure’s ninjas grew restless, and Rasa urged Grandma Chiyo to begin the war.
• Grandma Chiyo agreed that Sunagakure could not delay any longer and authorized Rasa to move.
• Konoha’s sentries spotted a large force of Sunagakure ninjas advancing, and the report reached Hiko.
• Hiko told Konoha’s commanders that victory would belong to them, and they called for him to order an immediate attack.

With Konoha furious over Sunagakure’s actions, Hiko dismissed the eager commanders’ calls for a decisive battle and told them to handle the response themselves. He then assigned Jiraiya to lead the effort, warning that Konoha’s losses could cost him his pay.

• Tsunade and the other Konoha leaders grew angry over Sunagakure’s provocations, while Jiraiya joked that he was eager to fight.
• Hiko told the commanders to decide among themselves who would go into battle, as long as Konoha did not lose too badly.
• Hiko explained that Sunagakure’s attack was only a probe and dismissed the meeting, telling them to report if the situation changed.
• Jiraiya coughed to urge Hiko to take the threat seriously, so Hiko made Jiraiya responsible for choosing the personnel and managing the response.
• Hiko warned Jiraiya that he would dock his pay if Konoha suffered too many losses, prompting Jiraiya to leap up in shock.

Hiko pushed Jiraiya into taking command of a force to stop Sunagakure’s advance, then explained that he was making others shoulder responsibility because he could not focus on the war. He warned the assembled leaders that the other villages concerned him more than Sunagakure, leaving them alarmed at the possibility of further enemies joining the conflict.

• Hiko told the assembled personnel to seek Jiraiya’s orders and prioritize results, making Jiraiya the focus of their attention.
• After Hiko warned that Sunagakure’s forces were advancing, Jiraiya chose Shimura and Hyuga as deputies and ordered them to assemble three hundred shinobi.
• Jiraiya led the force out of camp to halt Sunagakure’s attack.
• Hiko told the remaining leaders that he was using the crisis to train them to take responsibility and that he could not bring himself to focus on the war.
• Hiko said he was more concerned about the other villages, prompting a leader to ask whether they might join the fighting.

Hiko warned that other villages might exploit a war between Konoha and Sunagakure, while Hatake Sakumo urged the village to prepare. On the battlefield, Jiraiya led Konoha to overwhelm Sunagakure’s vanguard, leaving the fight firmly in Konoha’s favor.

• Hiko warned that Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure could attack Konoha while it fought Sunagakure, and said the Third Hokage had prepared for a possible multi-front war.
• Hatake Sakumo said he needed to report the danger to the Third Hokage, but Hiko ended the meeting and chose not to go to the battlefield himself.
• Jiraiya led Konoha’s forces into battle against Sunagakure’s vanguard, and Konoha’s superior strength quickly gave it the advantage.
• Jiraiya rescued Konoha shinobi in danger and summoned Gamabunta, sending Sunagakure’s forces into a panic.

Hiko judged Sunagakure too weak to threaten Konoha and chose not to crush it himself, since prolonging the war would help him force the Third Hokage from power and weaken the Elder Council. He returned his attention to the conflict, hoping Sunagakure would put up a more impressive fight.

• Hiko concluded that Sunagakure had provoked a war despite lacking the strength to defeat Konoha.
• Hiko decided against attacking Sunagakure alone, reasoning that doing so would bring him little benefit and elevate him above his clan.
• Hiko believed Konoha could win the war without his direct intervention and that the Third Hokage needed to be forced out for Hiko to limit the Elder Council's power.
• Hiko recognized that his delay had caused events to unfold earlier than expected and admitted he could not know every detail of the future.
• Hiko stopped dwelling on the larger political situation and hoped Sunagakure would make the fighting more interesting.

After Jiraiya’s successful attack, Hiko ordered him to stay cautious and established rotations with Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade. At Sunagakure’s Command Center, Rasa and Grandma Chiyo assessed their heavy losses and the powerful Konoha forces facing them.

• Jiraiya returned from the battlefield pleased with his victory, and Hiko warned him to avoid major mistakes and continue fighting until Hatake Sakumo replaced him.
• Hiko told Tsunade to prepare for deployment and left the choice of personnel and tactics to her.
• Rasa reported that Sunagakure had lost most of its probing force, including the Elite Jonin Mukuo, while Konoha had deployed Jiraiya and several Elite Jonin.
• Grandma Chiyo recalled Hatake Sakumo’s role in the deaths of her son and daughter-in-law and blamed him for her grandson’s departure from Sunagakure.
• Rasa insisted that Sunagakure still had a chance to win and resolved to prove himself against Konoha’s legendary fighters.

Black Zetsu warned Uchiha Madara that Hiko had become a serious threat to the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan, prompting Madara to consider eliminating him. The chapter ended with Black Zetsu arguing that killing Hiko would not greatly disrupt their plan.

• Rasa vowed to prove himself by defeating Konoha's White Fang and the Three Legendary Sannin, while Grandma Chiyo doubted he understood the gap between his strength and Hiko's.
• Black Zetsu told Uchiha Madara that Hiko was growing stronger and could not be recruited or controlled.
• Black Zetsu warned that Hiko had become a major obstacle to the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.
• Uchiha Madara asked whether they should eliminate Hiko and considered awakening Nagato or sacrificing him to revive himself early.
• Black Zetsu said eliminating Hiko would affect the plan somewhat but would not change their eventual conflict with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu considered moving the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan forward because Nagato might not be strong enough to stop Uchiha Hiko. Black Zetsu planned to exploit Nagato’s bonds with Konan and Yahiko and use Hanzo of the Salamander to make Nagato cooperate.

• Black Zetsu argued that Nagato could not stand against Uchiha Hiko and recommended launching the plan early.
• Uchiha Madara asked whether Nagato was ready to fulfill their needs, since moving the plan forward meant Madara would have to die sooner.
• Black Zetsu said Nagato would make the right choice and that the ongoing Ninja War could make it easier to obtain the Tailed Beasts.
• Black Zetsu planned to gain Nagato’s trust by joining Akatsuki and exploiting Nagato’s bonds with Konan and Yahiko.
• Black Zetsu intended to use Hanzo of the Salamander’s opposition to Akatsuki to force Nagato into cooperating.